Chapter Nineteen
By: Sokai
Disclaimer: I, Sokai, do not claim ownership to the workings of W.I.T.C.H. -- I leave that honor up to Elisabetta Gnone. However, I can and DO claim to own this story and its inspired ideas FROM said series, as well as the original character, Sitara Vandom/Amandella Ember.
Note: Several things to quickly address here before you read this -- well, I hope it will be quick, but knowing me, it won't be. LoL Anyway, sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, but I'd wanted to make absolutely certain it was as "perfect" as I could make it and to MY liking. I must have gone through literally seven different drafts before I'd finally settled on this. And at first I didn't like it, but after editing and moving things around, I've found this is one of my favorite chapters. I won't say much about it so I won't spoil anything for you, and I don't know if you'll like it, but I DO know that it will, at the very least, have you talking in SOME capacity. And good or bad, at least it got you to talk, and that was my aim.
Now, the "fun" part. Because this chapter is pretty dynamic, I thought I would do with it what I did once before in the past with one of my old stories not posted on this site: add a soundtrack to it. Trust me, it isn't as "dumb" as some of you reading this might perceive it to be. I'd read a few stories in the past that did the same and it made the reading and scene all the more riveting. And when I'D done it for my other story, my readers absolutely loved it. And so, I believe for the most part, you will as well for THIS story (well, at LEAST be moved).
This site doesn't show links in chapters if you post them, so I had to space out every letter in order for it to show up. So when the time comes to visit the link and listen to the chosen song (which is "Blue," from "Cowboy Bebop," which I don't own, as an added disclaimer, but do love tremendously and feel it fits with this chapter and Sitara), just obviously get rid of the spacing.
So when you see this, 4, BEFORE continuing on in your reading of the chapter, THAT'S when you should use the link and let the song play in the background.
Enjoy, and here is the link to the site (because I cannot put the link of the song without it messing up):
www . thebluecrow . com/bebop/home . htm
(Click the link that says "Music Box" in white on the bottom left corner of the page. Click on the "Discography" link on the bottom right of the new page. Then click on the "ost#3" link that's also on the bottom right of the page. Finally, click on the red dot next to the track title of "Blue," which will open the song into RealPlayer.)
This chapter was written/created in June 2006.
"N-no . . . I . . . didn't . . ." whispered Sitara to herself, gazing upon the rigid cadaver of Cornelia that lay immobile within Sitara's twin sister's weakening arms.
Sitara's traditionally obtuse brown gems had then begun to momentarily flicker with sorrowful emotion the longer she continued to look upon the deceased young woman who . . . perhaps, had even been her friend.
Her first and only friend.
"W . . . What have I done?" Sitara softly asked herself breathlessly, slowly raising her pale hands up to her cardinal colored head. She hadn't very long to wait for the answer, however, for as soon as she'd closed her eyes shut as though in feeble efforts to erase the image of Cornelia's lifeless body away from her mind, Sitara suddenly felt her black aura-riddled self being roughly body slammed to the ground unexpectedly.
"You . . . heartless bitch! You've taken away from me everyone I love and who loved me back! Why are you torturing me this way? Why?" she heard Wilhelmina spit out vehemently, before straddling and beginning to choke Sitara's person.
"You're not my sister! You're not even human! You're a vicious, spiritless monster who has to be stopped! And you will be, so help me God -- by me!"
As though the Keeper's words had been a trigger, Sitara's brief, placid disposition immediately found itself completely overrun by a renewed, incalculable vigor fueled by pure, unbridled ferocity -- with both Wilhelmina as well as the Earth paying the hefty price.
The already dreary and oppressive scenery of chaos, death, and devastation within the cemetery had then increased tenfold, as the previously disturbed earth beneath both women had begun to quake with terrible velocity, causing several trees that surrounded them to effortlessly topple over and tombstones to crumble with its might.
Wilhelmina, meanwhile, was far too preoccupied with the terrifying sight unfolding directly before her to quite yet focus upon the further destruction of the planet. Her formerly enraged eyes -- now fear-stricken with horror -- helplessly watched as her familial nemesis' body began to glow a deep, fiery blood-crimson beneath her tattered own, and her equally red, however much longer locks commenced flailing violently about her now eerie and decadent grayish complexion.
Although she'd meant what she said, Wilhelmina nonetheless immediately regretted her harsh outburst towards her sister at that moment, for before she could properly react, she felt her debilitated and damaged body being fiercely catapulted into the air, away from the feral Sitara and blindly thrown up against the bark of a tree that had thankfully been one to succumb to the current turbulent nature of the ground.
Miraculously, Wilhelmina had managed to remain conscious after that brutal attack and now bombarded with unbearable agony returning to and coursing throughout her bruised, bloodied, and further contused organic structure as a result. In the distance, through enfeebled and blurry eyes, Wilhelmina could just make out Sitara's own -- including her pupils, alarmingly -- turning an unnatural, nefarious black.
Despite that disturbing and inexplainable occurrence, it was the newly applied, even, menacing countenance that caused the cold chill to careen down Wilhelmina's spine. For she knew that, although her sister's power had been great since the very start of this straining nightmare, now it appeared as though Sitara was the living embodiment of extreme power -- an unstoppable juggernaut of sorts who had her sights set upon obliterating the last of her broken family.
Sitara's ignited body had once more begun to levitate from off of the trembling ground as she leered down upon her quaking prey.
"So . . . you think that I'm a monster, do you? How I was earlier is nothing in comparison to right now," murmured Sitara in a deeper, much icier tone than before, slowly hovering closer to her twin sister. "But if a 'monster' is what you truly want, then . . . so be it!"
With greater pain, despair, and virulence than she had ever known before throughout her entire, miserable life, Sitara savagely began to hurl dark energy after energy bolt from out of her hands at Wilhelmina, no longer feeling conflicted about anything, nor bothered by the increasingly agonizing physical affliction every violent action she'd taken was continuing to have upon her.
Wilhelmina let out a piercing scream from her horribly hoarse and damaged throat the instant her body became horrendously pelted with the lethal energy, feeling helpless to shield herself from harm.
"Why keep going on? Why keep fighting and struggling within a world that has never once helped you? Never wanted you? And has treated you like shit from the very start!" screeched Sitara, more so to herself than to her abused and incapacitated sister, continuing on with the physical barrage of mystical energy. "Why don't you just give up? You're just an insignificant little ant whom no one would mourn if you'd gone! Life -- as pointless as it is -- would continue on without you! Without a care! So. Just. Die!"
As the formidable young sorceress bellowed out the last of her continuously crazed rant, the planet's steady dilapidated nature suddenly took on an even more drastic turn for the worse. The heavens, as though expressing its great disapproval of Sitara's ill-will resolve, issued forth replenished, sweltering winds at the same time that a second round of rain had begun to pour momentarily before metamorphosing into far much deadlier hail pellets.
Despite the ache and increased feelings of resignation coursing throughout her being, Wilhelmina then began to try concentrating to bring forth the Heart of Candracar one last time with what very little energy she had left, while at the same time slowly curling into a ball in attempts to better protect herself from the spheres of frozen ice crashing down upon her.
However, deep within her heart, Wilhelmina knew that having the Heart would not do her any good, for the previous anguish she'd felt since the first time she'd summoned it earlier that evening, due to her bond with it (much as her fallen friends had with their elements and felt its respective pain) was barely present, signifying to her that even if she did manage to call it forth to use, it could no longer help her.
Now that her comrades were gone and, with them, the mystical jewel's continued energy source, Wilhelmina, herself, was destined to fade away . . .
"It won't be long now! I can feel the end drawing near! It'll all be over soon!" boomed Sitara in her intimidating, bass-like voice over the turbulent noise, an expression of delirium riddled across her face.
Effortlessly "cocooning" her twin within her dark energy, interrupting her magic-summoning concentration in the process, Sitara lifted her up from off of the ground at the same moment that the quivering earth opened up and claimed its first four victims, swallowing the expired Guardians' decrepit corpses into its dark and chartless bowels.
"Ooh! Perfect timing! Now you can see first hand of what's happening all over the world to everyone else as we speak, thanks to that little 'demonstration!' It's the same end result that you will soon meet: annihilation!" cackled Sitara as she and Wilhelmina watched the latter's friends vanish within the earth's crevices. "Although, I think there's someone you ought to get reacquainted with first!"
Without delay, Sitara ruthlessly flung Wilhelmina's shredded body straight into one of the only tombstones left within the cemetery that remained erect -- for the time being.
Thomas Vandom's.
Now, literally mere moments from the pain-relieving death that she now so greatly welcomed by this point, Wilhelmina only had enough strength left to torpidly gaze upon their deceased father's grave with mixed emotion as she lay, crippled, upon her stomach, her blood splattered across the tombstone's marble face.
This is it, she thought with an eerie calm washing over her, notwithstanding the astute awareness that she was about to die. I'm coming to be with you guys . . .
Sure enough, with an arm raised directly above her head as a small, but lethal dagger appeared within her hand, Sitara slowly returned to the shivering ground and knelt behind Wilhelmina, her breath tickling the back of her neck in the process.
". . . Say 'hello' to Mom and Dad for me, sis . . ." she whispered against Wilhelmina's bleeding ear without remorse, at the same time that she thrust the dagger down towards Wilhelmina's unprotected back.
Suddenly, a bright, feverish and blinding kaleidescope of light enveloped Wilhelmina's fallen body and miraculously protected her from surrounding and environmental harm, deflecting Sitara's dagger away from and out of her hand and causing it to land a few feet away.
"W-what the? What's going on?" she demanded, shielding her eyes from the glorious light as it was at that time Wilhelmina's turn to gently levitate several inches off of the ground.
And while Wilhelmina, herself, wondered what was beginning to transpire, her formerly languid self filled with strength, faith, and love . . . all of which were feelings she only felt the most whenever within the presence of . . . her friends.
"Don't worry, Will . . . You're no longer alone . . . You never truly were . . ." said a disembodied, although extremely familiar female voice softly against her ear.
". . . Taranee?" breathed Wilhelmina with the first wave of true hope she'd had all night, tears forming within her brown eyes before closing them. "Where are you?"
". . . Right where she's supposed to be, Will -- where we're all meant to be: within your heart . . ." said another acquainted female voice, an obvious smile sounding within it as it always used to possess before their friendship's fallout, leading Wilhelmina to be absolutely certain of whom it belonged to.
"Hay Lin . . ." she murmured, feeling the heart within her chest swelling with positive emotion, while the Heart within her palm curiously began to pulse back to life with renewed power that was now yearning to be let loose.
"H-Hay Lin? Taranee? How is this possible? You're dead!" Wilhelmina heard Sitara call out frantically into the atmosphere below her, as the surrounding light around Wilhelmina grew brighter and brighter.
"That's right, Will . . . We may be gone in body, but never in spirit . . ." said a new voice Wilhelmina immediately knew to be Irma's on the other side of her, her words blanketing her in continued comfort. A small, but growing smile began to spread across upon Wilhelmina's face as she recognized the truth within her friends words. Although gone, Wilhelmina's loved ones really would always be alive and remain within her heart and memories forever, so long as she never forgot about them.
Suddenly, Wilhelmina felt three pairs of hands -- their hands -- gently rest upon each of her own as a fourth and last voice spoke presumably next to Irma.
". . . We were born, destined to become Guardians of the Veil, which meant that we would eternally be bonded to one another as a result . . . And so it shall always remain . . ."
"C-Cornelia . . . ? You're here too . . ." whispered Sitara in intermingled disbelief and noticeable fear filtering into her voice, the planet's ongoing turmoil suddenly feeling far less sever to Wilhelmina as her eyes continued to remain closed.
"Our strength is your strength, Will; our love is your love . . . Don't ever forget that," said Cornelia softly, her voice sounding the most peaceful of the three other Guardians.
And that's when Wilhelmina finally realized the true meaning of the blonde's dying words:
"'. . . Fight with love . . .' You didn't mean for me to fight Sitara for my lost loved ones," she commented gently, her smile growing further as the Heart of Candracar throbbed harshly within her palm, seconds from freeing itself from the appendage. "You meant for me to fight with the love I have for them . . . the love I have for Sitara . . . instead of allowing myself to be so consumed by hatred and vengeance . . ." she finished, at last opening her eyes to gaze down at her now cowering twin sister, watching her face being contorted by uncertainty and confusion, her chest heaving rapidly.
". . . Don't give up on her, Will . . . You're the key . . . the only one who can truly reach her . . . and save her . . ." said Cornelia, finally resting her hand upon Wilhelmina's own as well. "You can do it . . ."
Aware of her friends' spiritual company, Wilhelmina -- and even Sitara, curiously -- had also then suddenly felt a fifth presence right then once Cornelia had spoken the last of her words, that felt far much stronger and welcoming than that of even the four deceased Guardians.
"S-stop it!" cried out Sitara as she at last picked herself from off of the no longer vibrating ground and hurled another dark energy bolt at her sister in attempts to destroy her once and for all, clearly beyond uncomfortable with the new, unseen and silent visitor's attendance.
With perfect timing, perhaps, the Heart had at that moment, emerged from out of Wilhelmina's body, acting as a buffer against Sitara's attack, as the rainbow of illumination around the Keeper had elevated to its brightest and her transformation back into her Guardian alter ego commenced.
"No!" screamed Sitara in frustration after the light at last dissipated and she gazed apprehensively upon her sister's completely healed, strength-renewed magical self before her.
The winds began to die down as the hail was suppressed back into rain, while Sitara's menacing appearance struggled to uphold itself as Wilhelmina slowly began to approach her with a soft smile upon her face after her feet settled themselves back onto the moist earth.
". . .You don't have to fight . . . to hate anymore, Sitara . . ." she began softly, slowly extending a hand out to her. "You'd done that all of your life and I deeply regret that . . . What Dad did to you . . . was despicable as well as unforgivable. . ."
Sitara's oblique eyes flashed with deep seeded anger at the mention of their evil father and of the living hell he'd put only one of his daughters through for the majority of her life.
"Don't you dare pretend to know anything about it, or me! You don't know me! You never will!" she exclaimed, rolling thunder and lightning sounding and flashing just then, reflecting her growing ire.
However, Wilhelmina continued to stand her ground, continuing on towards her with the same devotedness and determination that coursed within her as before.
"No, Sitara. You're right. I don't know anything about what he put you through, but if I had, I swear to God that I would have done all that I could to save you . . . Like I am now . . ." she responded, extending her other hand out toward Sitara, countering the sharp, familiar pain that had then coursed throughout Wilhelmina's insides with a stronger wave of positive energy and love. She'd briefly taken notice of its effect to having done so upon not only Sitara but their surroundings, as well, as the rumbling sky grew a bit calmer and slowly lightened with impending daybreak.
"K . . . K-keep away, Will! I'm warning you! I'll --"
"-- Kill me? No. I don't think you will, Sitara. I don't think you ever truly had the intention to do so, to be honest, otherwise you'd have done it from the start," interrupted Wilhelmina, now only a few feet away from reaching her sister, who continued to look greatly frazzled, eyes squeezing tightly shut.
"S-stop it . . . I'm evil . . . A monster, like you said . . . I . . . I killed everyone whom you loved, and I will kill you too!" she stammered, the rain dying out into a light, comfortable drizzle as the thunder and lightning ceased.
Stopping in front of her crumpled form, Wilhelmina shook her head slowly and smiled warmly.
"No, Sitara. You're not evil; you never were. I truly believe that. Nor did you murder anyone . . . A confused, hurting, and scared person did. But not you . . ." she said, crouching before her, her heart reaching a great crescendo of stronger compassion she'd never thought capable of possessing before now.
"I may not known you, but I do know your heart . . . And how, despite all of the pain and negativity you've mostly experienced more than anything else, deep down you're still a very beautiful person who deserves and yearns to have all the love in the world . . ." she finished, immediately embracing her former foe, now returned sister lovingly, holding onto her tightly as Sitara began to struggle against her in surprised protest.
"L-let go of me! You don't . . . don't know anything! I'm not . . . not . . ." she trailed off as tears regrettably began to form within her sable eyes, her solid resolve at last beginning to completely deteriorate.
Wilhelmina's own eyes began to water as she hugged her younger twin tighter, thankfully feeling a breakthrough.
". . . You don't have to fight anymore, Sitara . . . Or be afraid, or angry, or alone anymore . . . I'm here now. We're all the family we have left . . ." she whispered against her ear in integrated reassurance and desperation to make the other red head understand, feeling the hate and negativity draining away from her and being replaced with all of the nurturing love and security she should have always had since birth.
Suddenly, Wilhelmina heard something come out of Sitara's mouth she never thought she'd ever say:
". . . Kill me . . ."
4
"What? No!" exclaimed Wilhelmina as she quickly, although gently, pushed Sitara away from her chest to look at her properly, still seizing her arms. She was surprised to see a small smile upon the girl's face despite the horrid request made by her.
Her physical appearance gradually had returned to normal, as her hair at last rested peacefully and gently against her bare shoulders, and the dark red aura sash faded close to invisibility, exposing more of her naked, sickeningly pewter hued flesh. Even her eyes, while still paranormally black, were beginning to gain life and emotion as the natural whites of her pupils also began to make its way back to the surface.
"Will . . . You said that you wanted to 'save me . . . ' Killing me is the only way -- I realize that now . . ." she explained both softly as well as weakly as her voice returned back to its normal, lighter octave, the internal struggle to keep her immense power at bay shining within her eerie orbs.
It was then Wilhelmina's turn to become frantic as she shook her head violently at the same time that she squeezed down upon her sister's arms.
"No! I said that I would save you, as in help you!" she exclaimed, tears of sadness replacing the tears of joy she'd momentarily felt mere time fragments before, allowing them to freely stream down her tawny cheeks after squeezing her eyes shut.
Sitara just smiled as she lightly winced at Wilhelmina's pressure against her arms . . . or perhaps, something far more painful than that.
"If you kill me, you will help. This power within me is too great for me to handle or control for very long . . . It's too unstable; I might hurt someone else with it the next time I'd get upset . . . But if you kill me now, it will end . . . And you'll be safe . . ." she reasoned as delicately as she could, watching Wilhelmina struggle to weigh out the pros and cons at the same time that she tried to rapidly think of something that would convince Sitara not to let her go through with the absurd act.
". . . I'm dying anyway, sis . . . So with or without your 'help,' it'd still be too late for me . . ." she whispered, reaching out to gently stroke her sibling's cheek free of tears. ". . . And I don't know you either, Will, but it's plain to see that you're my better half . . . And I am very honored to be your sister . . . Your twin sister . . ."
Wilhelmina opened her eyes to look at her sister sadly, slowly shaking her head.
"Please . . . don't tell me to do this, Sitara . . ." she desperately beseeched through heartbreaking sobs, causing Sitara to grimace once more as a result.
"I'm not telling you . . . I'm asking you. Please, Will . . ." she replied, pleading herself as she raised her other free hand to beckon the fallen dagger she'd planned to use upon her sister to her hand.
"H-hurry . . ." whispered Sitara, the feverish red aura around her growing again and her hair beginning to raise from off of her shoulders once more as her face twisted in mixed fear and struggle.
Sobbing, Wilhelmina slowly took the dagger from out of the other girl's hand and hesitated a moment.
"I . . . I . . ." she stammered, her voice cracking as her vision became obscured by her steady tears. She felt Sitara's glowing hand wrap around her weapon-yielding own gently, her body tensing up as she obviously fought against the surging power rebuilding within her and whispered back,
". . . Set me free . . ."
Gritting her teeth and squeezing her eyes shut for a second time, Wilhelmina let out an enraged and heart wrenching scream as she violently plunged the dagger straight into Sitara's abdomen, hearing her sister to gasp in pain in the process.
Crying hysterically, Wilhelmina felt the unmistakable sensation of warm, sticky blood trickling onto her hand and down her arm as the weight of Sitara's body pressed against her own once she'd recklessly collapsed into her arms. Not wishing to open her eyes, Wilhelmina had to will herself to do so, opening them in time to watch the aura completely vanish away from her twin's body this time around.
Carefully cradling Sitara within her arms, Wilhelmina fought off her gagging urges as she looked upon the protruding dagger within her stomach and bright red blood continuing to stream out of and down her unsheltered body.
Slowly opening her eyes, Sitara looked up at her grieving sister one last time and smiled wearily, her eyes having returned to their normal brown, ironically now the most vibrant they'd ever previously been.
"T-thank you . . ." she said weakly in between shallow gasps for breath, gently squeezing Wilhelmina's arm before looking up towards the bright, clear blue sky that the new morning had at last brought forth after a tumultuous night.
And suddenly, the Keeper of the Heart of Candracar felt more lonely than ever before, watching with helpless eyes and abandon as her sister -- the twin she'd never gotten a chance to truly know due to circumstances beyond both of their control -- pass away, and along with her, a large part of herself . . .
-- The End?
(A.N. I'm very tempted to leave THIS chapter as the final chapter and ending to this story. You know, since I'm also tempted to make it a sort of "Paranoia Agent" conclusion, for those who've seen that anime. YOU know, how not every question and speculation brought up had been answered, which, as a result, STILL has fans talking about – including myself. LoL And since I ALSO know a few of you are planning to do a sequel spin off to this story, I thought leaving it slightly unresolved and open-ended like this might be good for that as well.
Now, by the same token, I've also already written an epilogue after this chapter – just haven't typed and edited it yet. LoL So! Depending on the reactions I get for this "ending," I may or may not post it. Lemme know, people. LoL PERSONALLY, I don't care either way, because I still got good drama out of this one.
But yes, I really hope you all enjoyed this chapter AND the soundtrack accompanying it for those who bothered to do that. When my friend did, she cried her eyes out, saying that song really IS perfect to convey how Sitara feels, etc. Plus, she's always loved the song, itself. LoL
So! Right! Lemme know!)